


Once I Knew a Man

by Era_Penn



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canonical offscreen character death, Feels, Gen, Mourning, Team Bonding, respect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-18
Updated: 2014-01-18
Packaged: 2018-01-09 03:28:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1140889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Era_Penn/pseuds/Era_Penn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They were gathered around a hospital bed when Tony first mentioned the man who could heal any wound.</p><p>It was a long time after that they learned his name.</p><p>
  <i>Yinsen.</i>
</p><p>Korean translation available.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Once I Knew a Man

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this once before and orphaned the entire account due to REASONS. So if it seems similar, that is why.
> 
> Now available in [Korean](http://blog.naver.com/lovecangji/220915458656), thanks to the lovely [57_101](http://archiveofourown.org/users/57_101/pseuds/57_101)!

They were playing never have I ever. Tony wasn't sure why - maybe it was just so that they wouldn't have to think about just how close they'd come this time to losing one of their own. He wasn't about to complain, though. They were here, around his bed, in a hospital, which ALL of them had issues with. So he played never have I ever. Clint had gone first.

"Never have I ever missed a shot." Everyone in the room put a finger down.

"Never have I ever eaten jell-o." Thor boomed. Tony was the only one who didn't put a finger down.

"Never have I ever been poisoned." Steve said stoutly. He wasn't surprised when Clint and Natasha put a finger down, but Tony was a little bit of a surprise.

The game lasted quite a while, but eventually they moved into Once I. Tony was the master at this - the exact opposite of never have I ever. Natasha had some amazingly odd things happen to her as well, however. They each had one finger left when Tony said it.

"Once I knew a man who could heal any wound." Natasha slowly lowered her finger.

"Who?" She asked. His smile was sad.

"I might break on you if I talk about it right now." He replied, and left it at that.

* * *

"Where is he?" Bruce asked one day after a particularly difficult fight.

"With his family." Tony replied, and Bruce knew then why Tony never talked about him, whoever he was.

* * *

"What did he do?" Natasha asked.

"He preformed he most complex surgery in history." Tony replied, and Natasha knew Tony meant something more than just the physical.

* * *

"Where did he go?" Asked Thor.

"The highest halls of Valhalla." Said Tony, and Thor knew that Tony had respected this man like he had never respected any other, because Tony did not really believe in Valhalla.

* * *

"How did he die?" Clint asked.

"Teaching someone else how to fly." Tony said, and Clint knew that the man was the only reason Tony was with them now.

* * *

"Who was he?" Steve asks, when they are all gathered together in another hospital room, weary heads dropping onto neighboring shoulders and haunted eyes trying desperately to find something, anything light to lock on to, though none of them are injured this time beyond scrapes and bruises and the scars in their hearts.

"His name was Yinsen." Tony replied.


End file.
